What does "dugout" mean?
A canoe made from a hollowed-out log.
Dugout
/ˈdʌɡaʊt/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A canoe made from a hollowed-out log.
- Grammar: dugout is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abri, air-raid shelter, antre, approach trench.
- Useful contrasts: aboveground dwelling, bleachers, bullpen.
- Usage evidence: His loneliness was as deep as the blue of the ocean around his dugout canoe.
How to use "dugout"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dugout" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dugout" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dugout" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dugout" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dugout" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abri" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dugout", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A canoe made from a hollowed-out log.
"The other explained that it had come with a fleet of canoes in charge of an English half-caste clerk Kurtz had with him; that Kurtz had apparently intended to return himself, the station being by that time bare of goods and stores, but after coming three hundred miles, had suddenly decided to go back, which he started to do alone in a small dug-out with four paddlers, leaving the half-caste to continue down the river with the ivory."
- 2 a fortification of earth; mostly or entirely below ground wordnet
- 3 A pit dug into the ground as a shelter, especially from enemy fire.
"The key unit of life here is the dugout – what the soldiers call a ‘blindage’ – an underground burrow where half a dozen men share the narrow space between the bunks with weapons, ammunition, biscuits, tea bags, and a jumble of other essentials (there is also usually a cat, not to mention the mice)."
- 4 either of two low shelters on either side of a baseball diamond where the players and coaches sit during the game wordnet
- 5 A sunken shelter at the side of a sports field where non-playing team members and staff sit during a game.
"Spurs, who were without boss Harry Redknapp after his heart surgery, failed to create a clear-cut chance. Redknapp is expected to be back in the dugout when Spurs play Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday but it was left to his assistant Kevin Bond to take a young team to Russia looking for the win that would put them through to the last 32."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a canoe made by hollowing out and shaping a large log wordnet
- 7 A small portable case for equipment used to smoke marijuana. slang
- 8 a shelter for humans or domesticated animals and livestock based on a hole or depression dug into the ground; can be fully recessed into the earth, with a flat roof covered by ground, semi-recessed, with a constructed wood or sod roof standing out, or dug into a hillside. wordnet
- 9 A pit used to catch and store rainwater or runoff. Canadian-Prairies
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"His loneliness was as deep as the blue of the ocean around his dugout canoe."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dugout"?
Common synonyms include: abri, air-raid shelter, antre, approach trench, asylum, bench area.
How do you use "dugout" in a sentence?
His loneliness was as deep as the blue of the ocean around his dugout canoe.
How do you pronounce "dugout"?
Pronounced /ˈdʌɡaʊt/.
Etymology
From the verb phrase dug out.